As conventional positive-tone photoresist materials that use sol-gel materials, for example in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-310642, there are disclosed macromolecular silicone compounds having phenolic hydroxyl groups, and macromolecular silicone compounds in which the hydrogen atoms of the phenolic hydroxyl groups are replaced by specified atoms. Moreover, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-302382 there is disclosed art in which the hydrogen atoms of the carboxyl groups or the hydrogen atoms of the carboxyl groups and the hydroxyl groups of a macromolecular silicone compound are replaced with a group unstable to acids. However, with the art disclosed in the above patent documents, there have been limitations on the type of monomer or polymer that can be used.
Moreover, sol-gel materials are also useful as materials for forming optical waveguides. In this case, because many device materials are of positive-tone, a positive-tone sol-gel material for forming optical waveguides has been desirable.